Business as usual for Dale

A RARE taste of defeat will not affect Rochdale’s appetite for promotion, insists Spotland boss Keith Hill. The 1-0 defeat to Bury in Monday’s derby was Dale’s first loss in 12 games, but Hill said the blip has not affected confidence or focus on the task in hand.

The 1-0 defeat to Bury in Monday’s derby was Dale’s first loss in 12 games, but Hill said the blip has not affected confidence or focus on the task in hand.

Crewe come to Spotland this afternoon for what promises to be an entertaining clash between two of the best footballing sides in the division.

"For players like Jason Taylor and Will Atkinson it was the first defeat they have experienced with the club, even though they’ve been here almost two months. Over the last few days they have seen that we do not over-react to defeat. The management team and the squad turned up to training on Tuesday as per usual with a smile on our face.

"We have not over-celebrated when we’ve won and by the same token we don’t get disheartened or disillusioned when we lose a match."

Dale’s record remains one of the best in the country and while derby defeat is always disappointing, Hill was keeping things in perspective.

"There are not many teams throughout the divisions who are averaging two points per game as we are, and the teams who are tend to be very well endowed – Chelsea, Leeds United, Norwich City. When you look at the resources those clubs have and the calibre of player they can attract compared with other teams in their division, they far outweigh us.

"We were very unfortunate on Monday with the way the Bury goal came about in that it wasn’t created by them. Ryan Lowe is an excellent finisher, he took it well and that gave them something to hold on to. But we had been the better team in terms of possession in the second half and the goal came against the run of play.

"We’re very even minded in our assessment of games and how we go about moving forward. When you consider that two-points-per-game average, that is the barometer you have to judge us by and not take one game in isolation because it was a local derby. We don’t tend to look at games in isolation, but we have to with this one and move on.

"At the start of the season our objective was to finish in the top 10 and we have overachieved and the players are keen to carry that on in the remaining games.